Category: Other Series PR

Milverton, ON.  Monday April 22, 2013:  Scott Steckly is pleased to announce today that Johnsonville Sausage will be an associate sponsor on his 22 Racing/Canadian Tire entry for 2013 in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

“22 Racing is pleased to add Johnsonville to our associate sponsor group for 2013,” said team owner and driver Scott Steckly.  “They were with us last year as a food sponsor and were featured on our newly built barbeque cart and on our trailer.  This year we will add their logo to our race car package,” he added.  “Johnsonville’s famous brat’s are a favourite with our race team at the track and at home.”

“Johnsonville Sausage is thrilled to be partnered with the #22 car of Scott Steckly who is one of Canada’s top drivers”, said Brad Martin, Group Sales Director Canada. “Our biggest challenge this year will be keeping Scott’s crew well fed throughout the season with Canada’s #1 Bratwurst and Breakfast Sausage.  Johnsonville Sausage is a proud supporter of Canadian agriculture and are pleased to be a part of the 2013 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. All the best Scott from Team Johnsonville”.  Visit www.johnsonville.ca

About 22 Racing:  Scott Steckly as owner and driver of the 22 Racing/Canadian Tire Dodge also prepares cars for #47 WeatherTech team of L.P. Dumoulin from Trois Rivieres, QC.  22 Racing is located in the small town of Milverton just outside of Stratford, ON.  The race shop houses seven NASCAR Canadian Tire Series cars and has two NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championships to their credit.  22 Racing also prepare single or multi event rental programs. For more information visit www.22racing.ca

22 Racing is supported by the following companies:  Canadian Tire, Osram Sylvania, Mobil 1, Erb Group, Johnsonville, AW Millwrights & Reefer Sales.

For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit:  www.nascarhometracks.com For more information please contact:     Linda Jones (705) 730-4044 ljones@drivenmi.com

By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia) – Veteran Ontario late model driver Sean Cronan has announced he will drive a Terry Snyder-owned OSCAAR Super Late Model for the entirety of the 2013 season.

Cronan explained the deal with Snyder had been in the works since the 2012 Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway. Cronan, who will pilot a chassis previously driven by Jeff Dunford, feels the transition will be simple with the veteran Snyder at the helm.

“We’ve got a big asset with Terry having been around for so many years,” explained Cronan. “He’s a bit of a Super Late Model guru. He lives and breathes racing.”

Cronan will drive car #8 during his rookie season.

“I’m so thankful just to be racing for Terry Snyder. It’s a great car and a great honour,” said Cronan.

Along with his full-time move to OSCAAR, Cronan says he will still see some action in his limited late model, although the only confirmed event is the 21^st edition of the Autumn Colours Classic October 11-13, 2013, where he will pull double-duty.

The 2011 Sunset Speedway McColl shootout champion Cronan says he has dreamt of his chance to pilot a Super Late Model since he first started watching short track racing in Ontario.

“It’s always been one of those dreams where I thought ‘it would sure be nice to setup one of those cars’,” explained Cronan.

Cronan, who previously called Sunset Speedway home, is the fifth driver to announce his competition for rookie-of-the-year. The Barrie, Ont. native will be up against tough competition in fellow Sunset graduate Kevin Cornelius, Andrew Gresel, J.R. Fitzpatrick, and Rob Gibson for the rookie title.

“These guys are good. It’s not easy by any stretch,” said Cronan. “These guys are all very accomplished racecar drivers. We’ll see how it all works out, but that’s a stout field of rookies.”

The transition to a bigger, faster, yet lighter Super Late Model will not necessarily be easy, but Cronan is up for the tough challenge against a strong cast of competitors.

“You have to react faster, they brake harder, they come out of the corners a lot faster,” said Cronan. “Everything about a Super Late Model is faster. That’s going to be the biggest learning curve for me.”

“I’ve never shied away from competition before in my life, so I don’t think now is a time to start. I’m ready for the challenge and we’ll see what we’ve got at the end of the year.”

The veteran Cronan has yet to reach out to other OSCAAR competitors for advice, but says he hopes to before the season starts.

“It’s a racecar, and it turns left. I might give somebody call. If all else fails, we’ll wing it,” joked Cronan.

Regardless of the competition level, Cronan says he will be more focused on his own consistency, and admitted he may follow the model of a fellow competitor.

“You’ve got to finish races,” said Cronan. “That’ll probably be a strong asset for Kevin Cornelius. He doesn’t seem to get himself in to too much trouble.”

The burgeoning size of OSCAAR caught Cronan’s eye over the past few years and gave him the final nudge to make the jump.

“OSCAAR is a growing series. There is no doubt about that,” stated Cronan. “You look at the roster list and the money these guys are spending, and it just keeps going. It’s unbelievable. To even be a part of that is a huge honour.”

With just under a month remaining until the season opener, Cronan is optimistic he and his team are poised to compete well.

“With my guys coming on board and a little bit of experience from (Terry), I think we can put a solid program together.”

Cronan will enjoy extensive sponsorship in 2013 from Spira Fire Protection, The Lockeroom Sports Bar & Grill, Women In Stride, Super Cuts, Gunk Canada, Plumbtech Plumbing Inc., Rental City, Knightworks Design, Speedy Auto Machine, Sturdy Power Lines, Bourque Transmission, Paul’s Auto Body, Sophie’s Place Restaurant, Allen Roofing, and Septech Septic Service.

Cronan will be in action on Sunday May 19 for the OSCAAR season opener at Sunset Speedway.

Watertown, Conn.—April 18, 2013 — It’s become second nature for David Gravel over the last six weeks to visit a track for the first time and have a handful of laps to get up to speed. He did exactly that on 11 occasions in four different states during the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series West Coast Swing. Now back in the Midwest, he’ll visit a pair of tracks that he made his debut at last year and will thus be visiting for the second time as the series begins a stretch of races in the Midwest.

Prior to returning the Midwest, the native of Watertown, Conn., competed in the inaugural World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event at El Paso Speedway Park in Texas, on Tuesday, April 16. He set a new track record in qualifying en route to his first fast time honor of the season at the three-eighths-mile and finished fourth in the 30-lap main event, which matched his best finish of the season. He charged from fourth to finish second in the first eight-lap heat race and finished fourth in the dash.

“We were fast right off the truck and to set a new track record is always neat, especially in a World of Outlaws event,” said Gravel. “Qualifying well and getting into the dash is so important with the Outlaws and we were able to do that and really put ourselves in a good spot. If we hadn’t had that late restart, I think we probably would have finished on the podium, but all in all, to finish fourth in our first time at El Paso was great.”

This weekend, Gravel heads to Paducah International Speedway in Kentucky for an event on Friday, April 19 aboard the Firetext Response Maxim for Bill Rose Racing. He then travels north to Indiana for a stop at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt on Saturday, April 20.

Gravel made his debut at Paducah International Raceway last season, finishing ninth in the 30-lap main event at the high-banked, three-eighths-mile. The native of Watertown, Conn., opened the night by turning the eighth-fastest lap of the 29 drivers in attendance. Gravel started on the outside of the front row in the second eight-lap heat race, winning that contest to earn a spot in the World of Outlaws dash. He finished eighth in the dash, which put him on the outside of the fourth row to start the A-Feature. Gravel has made four starts with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series this season on three-eighths-mile tracks with a best finish of eighth at Tucson International Raceway in Arizona.

“I enjoyed racing at Paducah last year in my first trip over there,” he noted. “It’s a pretty quick track and if we get a wide surface to race on, it should be a pretty good show. I seem to run pretty good at higher banked, momentum-type tracks like that.”

In his first career start at Tri-State Speedway in 2012, Gravel finished 11th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series 40-lap main event at the quarter-mile bullring. He was 10th-fastest in time trials, which put him on the pole of the first 10-lap heat race. The 20-year-old was victorious in the heat race to put himself in the dash where he started ninth and finished 10th. Gravel has made one start in 2013 on a quarter-mile, with that coming at Silver Dollar Speedway in California, where he finished sixth.

“Haubstadt is a pretty tight race track,” said Gravel. “We ran on some similar tracks in California and had some good runs out there, so we’ll look to use some of what worked for us out there this weekend at Haubstadt. We raced on a lot of heavy tracks out west, so if the track is heavy, we’ll be ready for it.”

Gravel is currently sixth in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series standings on the strength of seven top-10 finishes, with three of those being fourth-place showings.

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter @davidgravel89g and like David on Facebook.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Conway ready for return at Long Beach

2. Tracy, Fernandez honored on Walk of Fame

3. Grenier joins Team Moore Racing at Long Beach

4. Ganassi to use blue rims again at Long Beach

5. Of note

1. Conway ready for return at Long Beach: Mike Conway said that a day in a Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car during the IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park was a good start of preparation for the 39th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The race, which Conway won in 2011 with Andretti Autosport, will be his first in the IZOD IndyCar Series this season. Conway, 29, will drive the Honda-powered No. 17 Blue eCigs car as a teammate to Graham Rahal and James Jakes.

“There will obviously be people who are race ready having competed in the first two events, but I have been thinking about Long Beach since the start of the year,” said Conway, who competed last weekend in a World Endurance Championship race at Silverstone. “I don’t feel like I am rusty. I felt at home straight away in the car (at Barber) and that was the main thing. I felt comfortable.

“I have been doing laps of Long Beach in my head for the last few months so I feel like I am in tune that way.”

Conway will have two practice sessions on April 19 plus a third 45-minute session on April 20 to dial in the car on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit before the three rounds of qualifications.

“Long Beach has got its own unique corners to it so it’s not the same setup you would run at St. Pete,” added Conway, who will make his fifth start at Long Beach. “Even though it looks similar, the corners are quite different. You have different surfaces there as well. It’s quite a unique place but similar characteristics in terms of other street courses with big curbs, bumps and walls everywhere.

“Getting used to the new tires Firestone is using this year and getting myself up to speed as soon as possible shouldn’t take long. With all the little things you miss with setups here and there and key areas, I just have to quickly make changes to get up to speed as quick as possible. But l feel ready.”

2. Tracy, Fernandez honored on Walk of Fame: Paul Tracy’s induction into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame didn’t sink in until the Canadian driver took a walk along the street course where he made many of his Indy car memories.

“My first race in an Indy car was (at Long Beach) in 1991 with Dale Coyne and my first win was here,” Tracy said. “I was walking across the bridge and said to myself, ‘Man, where did all the time go?’ I still feel as young as ever. I want to thank all the great teams I’ve driven for, all the teammates, all the competitors that have spurred me on and the conflict that has spurred me on.

“I’m honored to be in this group in the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.”

Tracy, whose four Long Beach victories is tied with Mario Andretti for second to Al Unser Jr. (six), was joined by Adrian Fernandez in being inducted into the Walk of Fame during the eighth annual ceremony.

Tracy won the 1990 Indy Lights race on the temporary street circuit and recorded CART victories in 1993, 2000, 2003 and ’04. The 2003 win was among the seven during the season on his way to the series title. He is tied with Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti for seventh on the all-time victory list with 31.

“You can’t have a great race without having a great city to host it,” Tracy said. “I want to thank Long Beach for everything that it does; it’s one of the marquee races in the world and a place that I’ve been very lucky to have won here four times.”

Fernandez, one of the most popular athletes ever from Mexico, made his open-wheel debut at Long Beach in 1993 and in 11 appearances had a career best-finish of second (2003). He posted 11 victories in Champ Car and the IZOD IndyCar Series, including the three in the 2004 season.

“I’m humbled to accept this special gift,” said Fernandez, who has been a driver, team owner and manager/agent. “As a driver, you put forth all this effort for more than three decades and it’s been a fantastic ride. Long Beach has always been a fantastic race and a ‘home’ track. I remember coming here and seeing so many Mexican fans.

“It’s always been the jewel of Indy car street races.”

Previous inductees include Jimmy Vasser, Scott Pruett, Galles Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr. Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Brian Redman, New Haas Racing, Chris Pook, Parnelli Jones, and Gary Gabelich.

3. Grenier joins Team Moore Racing at Long Beach: Mikael Grenier will race the No. 22 car for Team Moore Racing at the Long Beach 100, team co-owner Mark Moore announced.

Grenier’s effort will be backed by Xtreme Drilling & Coil and NAPA.

“Mikael Grenier has done the bulk work of all the winter testing with the team,” Moore said. “He is the best person to put us in a position for an excellent result in Long Beach. He has worked with his engineer and crew and is ready to go. So, at this time, we would like to give Mikael the opportunity to get back out there. He is a very deserving young man.

Grenier made five Firestone Indy Lights starts in 2011 – including a race with Team Moore Racing — posting a best finish of fifth at Barber Motorsports Park. He finished seventh in his only start on the streets of Long Beach.

“I would like to thank TMR/Xtreme Coil Drilling and all of my personal sponsors for this opportunity,” the Canadian said. “I have to say it was really hard to be home watching the first two races on my computer rather than being in the car, especially after putting a lot of effort this winter in testing and developing the car together.

“Missing the first two races is not ideal, but I believe we are going to be very strong this weekend in Long Beach. I know the team and the people I will be working with very well and we just have to do our jobs like we always do and the result will come to us.”

4. Ganassi to use blue rims again at Long Beach: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams and Novo Nordisk are supporting driver Charlie Kimball in their Race With Insulin Unites campaign again in Long Beach to promote diabetes awareness.

The cars of Kimball, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon will compete with blue wheels to simulate the blue circle that is the global symbol for the International Diabetes Federation.

5. Of note: E.J. Viso attended high school at Rolling Hills Prep in San Pedro, Calif. – about a 15-minute drive from the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach circuit…Klipsch, a leading global speaker manufacturer, will serve as the Official Audio & Headphone Partner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and be an associate sponsor of the No. 15 car driven by Graham Rahal.

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Long Beach 100 on Sunday, April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on April 21, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.

1. If You Missed It: INDYCAR Conference Call with Charlie Kimball

2. Competition to get tougher in IZOD IndyCar Series

3. Chaves aims for another podium at Long Beach

1. If You Missed It: INDYCAR Conference Call with Charlie Kimball: Earlier today, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Charlie Kimball participated in an INDYCAR Conference Call to discuss the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season and preview the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21. Selected quotes from the call are below.

Q. Before we talk about Long Beach, let’s talk about the race weekend at Barber. It was a very strong weekend for the entire No. 83 team. You led a practice session. Qualified for your first Firestone Fast Six, led laps in the race and scored your first top five of the season.

CHARLIE KIMBALL: I think that’s an indication of the progress that the whole team has made over the winter. We went away after Fontana last year and did a really intensive self‑evaluation from everybody on the team: From driver, to management, to engineering, to mechanics. And we all came up with ideas and started to put those in practice. We went testing before the Christmas break, and then coming out of Christmas and coming out of the winter, when we went to the open test at Barber, we went with a pretty decent car and continued to make it better, so that the momentum carrying from Barber into Long Beach is better than it’s ever been.

We’re really proud of the progress we’ve made as a team, and I think that there’s no reason why we can’t continue to build positive results through the rest of the season.

Q. You mentioned the momentum your team started at Barber. How do you carry the momentum from the Barber weekend into the Long Beach weekend? And does the way you’ve started the season change the outlook for the weekend in terms of scoring a podium and maybe even your first win?

CHARLIE KIMBALL: I think as far as carrying the momentum, you have to forget about the result a little bit. You have to take the positives, learn from the mistakes and move forward. The first practice at Long Beach, anything we did at Barber is irrelevant, as far as where we are on the timesheet. We have to take that, forget that and move forward. But also understand when we get, hopefully, into the Fast Six again in qualifying and racing up front when we learn from the strategy and weaknesses we’ve shown at Barber. I’ve learned about how to race up front a little bit better. So I think you take those lessons, remember them, and apply them, and that’s how you build that momentum. You get comfortable up there. You’re used to being up there. When you’re running up front, it’s almost a little easier. I mean, it’s harder. The speeds are harder, and the lap times harder to maintain. But as far as knowing the people that are around you and understanding the risks everyone’s taking, it’s maybe a little easier.

Q. Chip Ganassi Racing was a four-car team last year, and it’s reduced to three cars this year. Can you talk about the relationship between Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti this year? Does that affect the way you guys have worked together this year?

CHARLIE KIMBALL: I think one thing I’ve noticed in the testing and then in the first two rounds of the season is that with three inputs from drivers, you have a better opportunity to learn, and learn from what they’re doing car‑wise, driving‑wise, engineering‑wise. And so we’re able to collate that data. Because between sessions, if you have four-car data to look at or only three-car data, you have the same amount of time,

So to be able to pull highlights from Scott and from Dario, and have a little more time to talk to them individually, the communication has been a little easier definitely starting the season. I think the more that the 83 team is able to run up front, the more we’re contributing back to the 9 and 10 cars.

To be fair, I’m really excited about the addition of Ryan Briscoe coming on board in the 8 car for the Indy 500 in the month of May. To have somebody of that caliber, to have last year’s pole sitter, the guy who won the race, and the guy who finished second last year to learn from, it’s definitely ‑‑ Chip Ganassi has built a very strong stable heading into the Month of May.

Q. You mentioned with the reduction of Ganassi from a four-car to a three-car outfit. That you have more time to talk to Dario, talk to Scott and learn from them. What is some of the best advice or some of the best things you’ve learned from them being such great drivers and your time with the team with them?

CHARLIE KIMBALL: Well, I think the biggest things I’ve learned have not been about a certain corner or a certain racetrack. It’s more about how to work with the team and how much effort to put in and how that be repaid by the crew members and by the mechanics. It’s more about managing the team and working with all of the tools that are available to maximize what options we have.

Because I think that’s what Chip Ganassi Racing does best. It’s got great people with all the tools that we need to go in, and sometimes you don’t know how best to use those tools. And watching Scott and Dario, they are masters at making the most of whatever the situation is.

2. Competition to get tougher in IZOD IndyCar Series: What do Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves have in common aside from at least one Indianapolis 500 victory?

They’re the only drivers this season to finish in the top five in both of the series’ first two races. Naturally, they’re 1-2 in the championship standings heading into the 39th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The six other drivers with top-five finishes at either St. Petersburg or Barber Motorsports Park shows the competitiveness of the series in Year 2 of the fourth-generation IZOD IndyCar Series chassis and turbocharged V-6 engine packages from Chevrolet and Honda.

Overall, 16 different drivers have scored top-10 results. Marco Andretti and Justin Wilson each have two top-10 finishes, while rookie Tristan Vautier and second-year driver Josef Newgarden each recorded their first top 10 at Barber

“It’s been a pretty good mix,” said Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car who is coming off a runner-up finish at Barber. “I know some of the bigger teams have made pretty big fumbles. I think this year you have a lot of smaller teams that have caught up in areas.

“It’s tough. It’s not like the old days if you messed up with a big team a few 10ths (of a second), you would lose a spot or two. Now it’s like five, six or seven spots. You have to keep your eye on the ball and try to make the most of it. So it is a tough season. I think it’s going to get tougher as the season goes on.”

Similarly, nine different drivers have competed in the Firestone Fast Six session to determine the Verizon P1 Award and set the first three rows for the race. Castroneves, Vautier and Will Power have advanced to the 10-minute round at both venues.

“In INDYCAR, the momentum can swing at any point because the competition is so close, the drivers are so talented,” said reigning series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won by .6363 of a second April 7 at Barber. “You could be going to your best racetrack, have a little bit of a mistake in qualifying, be 10^th or 11^th. Your weekend is changed at that point.”

Hunter-Reay started from the pole on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park road course and led a field-high 53 of 90 laps. There will be a season-high 27 competitors at Long Beach, including six former winners.

“It’s amazing when I think about it how different the weekend could be,” Hunter-Reay said about the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. “Let’s say I didn’t put that lap in qualifying in the end, you start second or third, the whole weekend is changed. It can hinge at any point. That’s the beauty of racing. That’s the things that the fans don’t get to see is how precise the whole entire execution of the weekend is.

3. Chaves aims for another podium at Long Beach: After contact with another car cost him a potential top-three finish in St. Petersburg, Gabby Chaves was not to be denied at Barber Motorsports Park.

Chaves, a 19-year-old from Bogota, Colombia, marched his No. 7 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb-Agajanian car to a third-place finish on the permanent road course and is setting his sights even higher entering Long Beach.

“The podium finish in Barber was much needed after a disappointing finish in St. Pete,” Chaves said. “It gets us back on track and begins to build our momentum.”

Chaves finished on podium in 10 of the 17 Pro Mazda Championship rounds in 2012 and never once finished outside of the top 10. To carry that momentum into the next level of competition in Firestone Indy Lights and not finish the first race was a frustrating start to the season, but the rebound at Barber has him sitting solidly in fifth in the race to the championship.

Chaves will join a talented field of 10 for the Long Beach 100 on Sunday, April 21, hoping the trouble he encountered in St. Petersburg is ancient history.

Each of the five rookies on the entry list will be racing at the 1.968-mile street circuit for the first time. Veteran Peter Dempsey did not race at Long Beach last year and only completed nine laps in 2011 after contact in an early incident.

For Chaves, the benefits of a team that has won multiple times over the series’ history at the track is paying off in pre-race preparations.

“Thanks to the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports guys, I have some resources I can use to make the process of learning new tracks quicker,” Chaves said. “The objective is still to stand on the top step of the podium at the end of the race weekend.

“I’ve heard Long Beach is a great street venue, and I’m really looking forward to having a winning car there.”

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Long Beach 100 on Sunday, April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on April 21, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.

Bloomington, Ind.—April 16, 2013— While Kraig Kinser is used to being on the road for weeks on end competing with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, there’s nothing quite like getting back to the shop and being home for a few days. That’s what he’ll enjoy later this week as he returns from a six-week stint on the West Coast for three races this week, including one in his home state of Indiana.

The week begins for Kinser on Tuesday, April 16 at El Paso Speedway Park in Texas, followed by a trip to Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky on Friday, April 19. He then heads to Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., on Saturday, April 20, for the series annual visit to the always racy quarter-mile bullring.

“We are putting in plenty of miles this week for sure, though getting to race three times makes it worth it,” said Kinser. “It’s always nice to have a mid-week show, especially when you’re headed back to the Midwest all the way from California. We’ve been working hard all season and trying some different things, so hopefully all of that pays off as he we start going to some of these tracks we know pretty well.”

Kinser has raced once in his career at El Paso Speedway Park, with that coming last fall in a 360-sprint car event with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS). He finished third in that 30-lap contest, with a very strong field of nearly 50 cars in attendance at the semi-banked, three-eighths-mile. He opened the night by coming from fourth to win the second eight-lap heat race, which put him in the redraw for the main event.

“Having some laps at El Paso last year in the 360 race certainly helps,” he shared. “We have a pretty good baseline. We kind of know what to expect as the night goes on as to the chances to track. Running against these guys, you have to use any extra bit of knowledge you may have, especially when going to a new track.”

Kinser has made five career starts at Paducah International Raceway with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series. He finished 11th at the high-banked, three-eighths-mile last season. He has one career top-10 finish at the venue with that coming in his second-ever start at Paducah in 2008. Last year he qualified seventh-fastest of the 29 drivers that were on-hand. He then finished third in the first eight-lap heat race, and lined up 12th for the 30-lap main event.

“Paducah can be a pretty racy surface depending on the weather and track conditions,” Kinser shared. “With the banking there you can run up top and really carry a lot of momentum around there. We always seem to qualify pretty good there and getting into the dash will be a key as always, as most of the races this year have been won by someone starting in the first couple of rows.”

The native of Bloomington, Ind., finished eighth at Tri-State Speedway last season and was a career-best fourth at the track in 2011. Kinser has recorded three consecutive top-10 finishes at Haubstadt. He made his first start with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series at Tri-State Speedway in 2004 and has competed at the track a total of seven times with the series since. Last season he timed in ninth at the quarter-mile and followed that up by winning the third 10-lap heat race which put him in the dash where he finished seventh. He lined up on the inside of the fourth row for the 40-lap A-Feature, and wound up coming home eighth.

“Haubstadt is a race we always look forward to,” he noted. “Anytime we get to race close to home is great. There are so many people I grew up racing with from that area and we only get to see them a couple of times each year. It’s great to have family members come out and see us race and see what we do as well.”

Kinser enters this week 10th in the World of Outlaws championship standings on the strength of six top-10 finishes, of which two have been top-five showings, including a fifth-place run last weekend at Kings Speedway in California.

Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Maxim, Aerodine Composites, Sander Engineering, Integra Shocks, All Star Performance, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bell, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt,Schoenfeld Headers, Donovan Engineering, Fel-Pro, Brodix, Wilwood, Dyer’s, Barnes Systems, Ringer Gloves, Jakes Custom Golf Carts, and Ben Cook Racing Limited for their continued support.

Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: El Paso Speedway Park, Paducah International Raceway & Tri-State Speedway
0.25- Miles around Tri-State Speedway
0.375- Distance around El Paso Speedway Park and Paducah International Raceway in miles
1- Top-10 finish at Paducah in his career; Race in Texas and Kentucky, respectively, this season for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
3- Races in the state of Indiana this season for the series; Top-five finishes with the series at Tri-State Speedway
4- Finishing position at El Paso Speedway Park last season with the American Sprint Car Series
5- Starts for Kinser in his career at Paducah International Raceway
6- Top-10 finishes this season
7- Career World of Outlaws starts at Tri-State Speedway
8- Finishing position last season at Haubstadt
10- Position in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series standings
11.4- Average finishing position in seven-career World of Outlaws starts at Tri-State Speedway
13.4- Average finish in five-career appearances at Paducah International Raceway
146- Miles from Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, Ky., where the World of Outlaws race on April 19 to Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
755- Miles from Perris Auto Speedway in California where the World of Outlaws raced on April 13 to El Paso Speedway Park in Texas
1,270- Miles from El Paso Speedway in Texas where the World of Outlaws raced on April 16 to Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky
1704- Points earned this season through April 13
2001- Year of first World of Outlaws start at Paducah
2004- Year of first World of Outlaws first start at Tri-State Speedway

Keep up with all the action 
For the latest news on Kraig Kinser, visit http://www.kraigkinser.com, and follow Kraig on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kraigkinser11k and receive live updates from the track each and every race night.

Tune in
Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the Outlaws” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visitwww.DIRTVision.com for live audio of  each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Franchitti to mark milestone start at Long Beach

2. Rahal spends time on ice

3. Di Leo to make Firestone Indy Lights debut at Long Beach

4. Of note

1. Franchitti to mark milestone start at Long Beach: Dario Franchitti has already overtaken Bobby Rahal and Gordon Johncock on the all-time Indy car victory list. Before the end of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season, he will pass them for most career starts, too.

The April 21 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark Franchitti’s 250th Indy car start – a fact that the 39-year-old driver found somewhat humbling and “amazing.”

Franchitti has amassed 31 victories (including three Indianapolis 500 wins), 29 runner-up finishes, 112 top-five finishes and 29 pole starts – all amongst the top 10 on all-time lists – in an Indy car career that began on March 2, 1997, in a CART race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He started 13th and finished 25th in a Hogan Racing car.

He has finished in the top 10 in more than half the races over the 15-plus seasons of competition. Such stellar statistics have enabled Franchitti to pick up four IZOD IndyCar Series championships along the way.

“It’s been a long time but it’s not just about being here, it’s being here and trying to be competitive,” Franchitti said. “If I continue to be competitive, I’ll be happy. The drive to continue is one thing, but it’s also being realistic about being competitive. Right now, we’re still able to do that.”

Franchitti is in his fifth season with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, where he’s won 13 races, three series titles and two Indianapolis 500 Mile Races. He spent an equal number of seasons with then-Andretti Green Racing (2003-07), where he won the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and series title.

“It’s amazing to think of all those years doing this and the races I’ve got to win, people I’ve gotten to work with, the teammates I’ve had, the teams I’ve gotten to drive with, the friends I’ve made,” said Franchitti, who earned his first victory in August 1998 at Road America. “This has been my life for a long time and I hope it continues for a long time because it was my dream to do this and I’m still here.

“It’s a competitive environment and you’re always gunning to try to be on top, and if you’re not on top you want to be. That’s what makes this sport so great, I think.”

Franchitti will make his 12th start at Long Beach, where he won in 2009 on the temporary street circuit. He started from the pole last April in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car.

“Long Beach one was (my) first (win) for the Target team so that was extra special,” he said. “Long Beach has a lot of history and it’s a race I’ve done well at and had some shockers as well. I can’t think of another street course that has that kind of history. It is a huge event, so it would be nice to win that one.”

Most Indy car starts 1946-2013

407 – Mario Andretti

369 – A.J. Foyt

329 – Al Unser Jr.

320 – Al Unser

317 – Michael Andretti

315 – Johnny Rutherford

281 – Paul Tracy

264 – Bobby Rahal

261 – Gordon Johncock

260 – Helio Castroneves

259 – Tony Kanaan and Bobby Unser

249 – Dario Franchitti

2. Rahal spends time on ice: Graham Rahal welcomed Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller into his world last September. On April 17, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver will spend some time on the ice.

A bonus for Rahal – the game at Honda Center is against his favorite NHL team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Rahal, along with the street-legal two-seater, will be on the ice during intermission following the second period to give away a ride in the “Fastest Seat in Sports” that leads the field on warm-up laps before the green flag of races — including the April 21 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Hiller, who has a 2.50 goals-against average in 22 starts for the playoff-bound Ducks, attended the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season finale at Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 15. After getting a ride in a two-seater on the 2-mile oval with Mario Andretti driving, he met with Rahal in the garage.

3. Di Leo to make Firestone Indy Lights debut at Long Beach: Canadian racer Matthew Di Leo will take the next step of his motorsports career as he steps up to Firestone Indy Lights beginning with the Long Beach 100 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif.

The teenager, who serves as owner/driver of MDL Racing, will make his series debut ready to build on the success he has earned in the USF2000 Championship as he tries to fulfill his dream to race and win in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

“I’m looking forward to being so close to (the IZOD IndyCar Series), so close to my ultimate goal,” Di Leo said. “I feel like there is a lot of great competition in the series, like there has been in all the series on the Mazda Road to Indy program. My goals for the weekend at Long Beach is to get a top-three finish, and bring the car back in one piece.”

While Di Leo will be making his debut in the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy program, which was created to advance drivers into the IZOD IndyCar Series, he is confident that he can make an immediate impression.

Piloting the MDL Racing entry that is sponsored by RES Precast Inc., the 17 year-old will have the benefit of working with the same crew that has led him to previous junior formula car success, as well as having recently completed a successful test.

“It actually was the most unreal ride of my life,” Di Leo said of his first Firestone Indy Lights test. “The car was so fast, and it handled great. I knew as soon as I finished my test day that I would be doing a race soon. I can’t wait to be back in that car.”

Di Leo has competed as an owner/driver for the past two years and was a contender for top honors in the 2012 USF2000 Championship, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship fight with four trips to the podium. The Innisfil, Ontario, native also has a winning record in the highly-competitive Canadian F1600 ranks.

4. Of note: Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing driver Charlie Kimball will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres on April 17 at Dodger Stadium. … Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and Andretti Autosport teammate E.J. Viso will participate in pit stop demonstrations and greet fans April 18 during the “Tecate Light Thursday Thunder on Pine.”

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 andwww.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Long Beach 100 on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on April 21, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.